Pumpkin Patch
by two pumps sugar free
Summary: Halloween in March because why not? - Caskett and their child go to a pumpkin patch.


p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""I really don't see why we have to drive all the way to New Jersey for a pumpkin." Seriously. It's kind of ridiculous - there has to be somewhere in the city (or at least the state) of New York where her husband and their daughter can find a few suitable Jack-O-Lantern candidates./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"He looks deeply affronted and Tessa, who will always side with her father (much to Kate's chagrin) immediately adopts the same pose: hands on hips and lower lip jutting out in a pout. God, she looks even more adorable than her daddy. "This is going to be our beautiful child's first ever time carving a pumpkin on her own-" he begins./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""- with extremely vigilant adult supervision." She immediately interrupts. Because, really, the girl is seven and even if Rick swears down Alexis was fine doing this at the same age, she isn't hugely comfortable with the idea of her baby holding sharp objects./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""-with extremely vigilant adult supervision," he affirms. "But don't you see? We can't have Tessa hit this milestone with a bog-standard pumpkin. She needs the best. And that means New Jersey."/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Yeah, Mommy. I need the bestest." And oh, she knows that look - stubborn and determined to get her way. She sees it in the mirror plenty often./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""I know, I know. I still think it's ridiculous, though."/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Well, I think you're ridiculous." Tessa huffs, crossing her arms across her chest and tilting her chin up. "You clearly don't understand, Mommy."/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Yeah, Mommy." Castle imitates. One glare has him looking contrite, however. Nice to know she can get at least one of the troublesome twosome under control with that look. "You'll love it once we're there, sweetheart. I just know."/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"She doubts it. Oh well. Here goes nothing./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;" /p  
hr style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;" /  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"The drive is a long stream of pumpkin fact after pumpkin fact) traded between the passenger seat and the back./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"("Did you know pumpkins are a fruit, Tessa?"/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Yuuuup. They're technically a berry!"/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""No way? Antarctica is the only continent they won't grow."/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""The world-record for the biggest ever pumpkin is one thousand, one hundred and forty pounds."/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Biggest ever pumpkin pie was over five feet in diameter."/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""They contain twenty six calories per hundred grams!)/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"That's where Kate stops listening. Because, seriously. Why does her seven year-old know that?/p  
hr style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;" /  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"She has to admit it's pretty impressive. The field stretches on forever, pumpkins of all different sizes splashing colour as far as the eye can see. "The best for the best." She agrees finally. Less begrudging of the long drive already, as Tessa dances on ahead of them, skipping from squash to squash in delight./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Yeah, well. Don't tell the kid this, but it's only second best. Even I thought dragging us all to Morton, Illinois would have been a bit extreme."/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Why Illinois?" She questions, bumping her hip against his and slotting against his side as they trail behind the daughter./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Pumpkin Capital. Duh!"/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"Her ridiculous dork of a husband. She loves him./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Betcha I find a better pumpkin than you can." One brow raised in challenge, he's well aware he's kicked off her competitive streak. Kate's eyes narrow./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""You're on."/p  
hr style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;" /  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""My pumpkin is better than yours." She insists./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""It's so small!" He argues, hefts his (admittedly much larger) pumpkin higher to make his point./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""But perfectly formed. Look how round it is! And orange. Yours is a little sickly looking, actually-"/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"He gapes. Once, twice. "Kate Castle! How dare you?! I'll have you know-"/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Will you guys stop?" Tessa whines in a slow drawl, eyes rolling. "What are you, twelve?"/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"Both parents pause, taking a break from their heated competition./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Tessa… You're seven." Kate lets out finally, after floundering for a more intelligent response. Being sassed so unexpectedly by her little girl seems to have slowed her usual lightning-fast ability to come up with a witty retort./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""Exactly." Tessa says simply. "What's your excuse?"/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"And then she flounces off ahead, pumpkin tucked firmly under her arm as she leaves her speechless parents behind./p  
hr style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;" /  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"About thirty seconds later, Rick nudges her with his elbow. "Hey, Kate?"/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""What?"/p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"He leans closer, whispers in her ear conspiratorially./p  
p style="color: #8f8e8e; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;""My pumpkin's still better than yours."/p 


End file.
